14 DAY TRIAL // Google is reportedly experimenting with a new feature for Google Assistant that would allow users to send texts from the lock screen without even unlocking their devices.
At this point, such functionality already exists, but in order to complete the sending of the message, users need to unlock the phones just after waking up the Assistant.
According to a report from 9to5google, using the “send a text” command with Google Assistant fires up the typical message sending UI while the phone is still locked.
Users also need to provide the recipient and the message to send the text, and a visual and verbal confirmation is offered once the task is complete.
Still a beta test for now
As the cited source notes, this is just an experiment for now, as the feature shows up on some devices, but is missing on others.
Clearly, allowing Google Assistant to send texts on a locked device would be a welcome feature, albeit at the same time, this could also raise some security concerns.
Basically, allowing the Assistant to run on top of the lock screen could open the door to other malicious purposes, albeit protecting users against it could very well be the reason Google is rolling it gradually even to testers.
Needless to say, this is just a beta test that may not get the green light at all if Google doesn’t think it is worth it or if the testing doesn’t advance correctly.
For the time being, Google has remained completely tight-lipped on everything related to such an update, so it’s hard to tell if the company has an ETA in mind or not. There’s not much you can do to get a taste of this feature for now, as Google seems to be using a gradual rollout for a limited number of testers.